This fan theory explains who the new Star Wars villain might really be

The new Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie will be one of the most discussed topics at your dinner table this Christmas. The movie premiered a week before Christmas and grossed more than $500 million worldwide in the first weekend, breaking many other records in the days that followed. Most critics have praised the new Star Wars movie in spoiler-free reviews though many people rightly pointed out that director J.J. Abrams relied heavily on the successful recipe of the original trilogy when imagining his version of the Star Wars universe.

Keep that in mind when reading the theory below, which explains who the new Star Wars villain might actually be. Be warned, though, this article contains some major spoilers, so do not proceed unless you’ve already seen Episode VII.

Posted on Business Insider, the theory says that Supreme Leader Snoke, who has the final word when it comes to the actions of the First Order, is actually Darth Plagueis, the Sith Lord who is only mentioned in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Is it possible? Didn’t Plagueis die a long time ago? Technically, Darth Plagueis did die, at least according to what Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious told young Anakin Skywalker.

“Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life,” the emperor told Anakin. “He had such a knowledge of the Dark Side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.”

But Palpatine is also Plagueis’s apprentice, who killed his master. Or at least, that’s what the emperor believed.

It’s not clear from the movies whether Darth Plagueis actually managed to escape death, but Business Insider speculates that might be the case. Plagueis may have found a way to either survive or revive himself. After that, rather than try to take back power for himself, he simply waited for Palpatine to dispose of the Jedis and prepared for the right time to resurface.

This is just a fan theory, but it’s one that might make perfect sense considering Abrams’ approach to Star Wars.

Rather than introduce an entirely new Dark Side villain that fans can’t connect with, Abrams may have chosen to bring Plagueis to the forefront, an enemy long-forgotten but one who might prove to be among the toughest one to defeat if his handle on the Force is this strong – after all, how do you kill a guy who can bring himself back to life?

Alternatively, Snoke could be Palpatine, who may have learned how to revive others, or himself, before he killed his master.